During the 25th General Assembly of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), it was announced that UPM Kymmene Corporation has been accepted by PEFC as an international stakeholder member.
“We are delighted to see the PEFC alliance grow further, even in these challenging times,” said Ben Gunneberg, PEFC’s Chief Executive Officer and Secretary General, following the acceptance of UPM. “It is a pleasure for me to welcome UPM into the family as our 31st international stakeholder member.”
“On behalf of the company, I would like to warmly thank the members for voting for our membership,” said Inka Musta, UPM’s Senior Manager Global Forest Affairs, after the acceptance at the General Assembly. “UPM is one of the world’s leading forest industry companies. Our head office is in Helsinki, Finland, but we have operations all over the world. We have nearly 19,000 employees and production in 12 countries. Across our six business areas, we create renewable solutions that replace fossil-based materials,” she continued.
“UPM is committed to the sustainable use of forests, and responsibility is one of the company’s strategic priorities. We have been involved in the development of PEFC for more than 20 years now. UPM owns nearly 800,000 hectares of PEFC-certified forests. Through our membership we want to work for a credible, widely accepted and globally recognized PEFC.”
“Thank you for your trust. We are looking forward to the collaboration with PEFC International and all its members to promote and develop sustainable forestry globally.”
PEFC international stakeholder members
International stakeholder membership is open to companies, organisations and associations with principles and objectives that are in line with PEFC.
International stakeholder members are part of the PEFC General Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the organisation, which sets the strategic direction of PEFC. They can join PEFC working groups and committees on relevant topics including standards revision, marketing and regional promotions.
They can partner with other PEFC members on projects around the world, and nominate representatives for the PEFC Board of Directors.
